The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-08-19

S@s~s~ s"@e
~ Weru> orlue sAas nvsr Darhsns1 ~
Annnns - ~ oonoo-M0ne Lives nner1oeoo
- : En1 - KseD pEoporoy = ~ unnas
efu1s vn1nsr's rlsse Rnnaly-An nzse'ee
CeWmuu11v.
MAoon, O.. Az. 7.-Disht corpsss, -
epa>osrs1 viii blood end brains. lay 4
3 Aouss thir>oen miles from this city yss-
eorday morning. and were CHASTITY evi-
dGnco q ~ most shocking murder ever
oonnieosd u Georgia. In the hallway, rsd
viii blood and cloetsd With brains and
hair, lay Iong-handlsd Axe with which
- oct1pls crime had besn accomplished.
he nr.e news Of the crime VS. brought %
chs city early yesterday morning By
mounted messenger whose foam-
0sckod horse told o. he terrible
Importance q The errand o. Which
he had riddsn- The news spread
through he city and surrounding country
With incredible rapidity, and when the
Coroner and other county o0cials reached
she sesas fully three thousand people wecs
awaiting their coming. A more humble
.struc9urs than that n which the crime
was committed would b difIicult 20 imag-
ine. Il d one story building with = long
weranda in front and hallway running
shroueh Ne center, into which
on -four rooms. The house d the
property q Richard r. Woolfolk, -
spsceable and well-to-do white planter.
On the right on entering h parlor, in the
rcar of which u sleeping-room which
We occupied ~ the following persons
Mn. West, en- aged sister Of Mrs- Wool
folk, Pearl, Annie and Rosebud voolfolk,
daughters Of Mrs. voolfolk. The Sleep
ing-room on the left Of the entrance WAS
occupied BY Thomas, Richard and Charles
Woolfolk, sons Of Mr.. and Mrs.. Voolfolk.
The rear room on the left was occupied
By Mr.. and Mrs. voolfolk and their young
ct child, aged eighteen months. A CHASTITY
sight confronted those who first entered
the house after the discovery Of the crime.
II the last room the father, mother and
infant lay on the same bed, each reeking
with the blood Of the other. The bodies
were almost lying across each other, and
their position gave evidence Of an agonis-
ing death. Across the three corpses Vas
slung that Of the oldest daugh
ter, Pearl, recent graduate
Of Wesleyan Female college, with
her bad beaten 70 pulp, and her neck and
body mutilated by blows from the
sharp blade Of the axe. On the door, In
the same mangled state. lay the body Of
the eldest brother. IL was evident that
Pearl and her brother had been awakened
by cries during the butchering Of their
parents, and had rushed into the room to
learn the cause only to share their fate.
On the bed in the opposite room lay the
body q Mrs. West, soaked In her own
blood and her brains oozing from her
head. which, like that Of the victims in the
other room, was also crushed into . shape
less mass. On the same bed lay the body
OF Annie voolfolk, with her head cloven
In twain: BY the window, on the floor, in
IN attitude Of supplication, lay the body
Of Rosebud voolfolk, with the left side Of
her face and head 50 mangled - 70 make
recognition almost impossible.
The sight made the strongest hearts
sick; even the ceilings and walls were BE-
spattered with blood and brains, while
here and there pieces Of flesh which bad
been flung from the uplifted axe chung x
the walls and wainscotirg. The bedding
Was soaked with the crimson fe-blood
and On the door sickening pools had
formed
A. soon - the officials could collect theil
senses steps 70 investigate the crime wers
begun I. @. Voolfolk, the only survives
Of the family, was questioned closely, ans
his replies were Of such . nature that sus
picion quickly pointed 20 him - beinI
guilty Of the crime Voolfolk was imme
diately placed under arrest. He proteste'
his innocence, but viewed the blood
bespattered bodies with such Immature
composure that the crowd was soon infu
rated and clamoring fer his life. Tn
coroner and other officials rallied aroun'
the prisoner and held the crowd 1t bay, .
the same time urging that the man be Civ
en- : chance to prove bis innocence II posi-
Die. These pIeadings eventually imrresse'
che ehrong, and Il was agreed to await th
result Of the coroner's inquest, provided
b held immediately. The coroner accord
ingIy impaneIed . jury and proceede
with the Investigation.
LAfER AND YULLER DETAILS
from the scene a the voolfolk TRACED
develop the fact that there were nine vic
tiun instead Of eight a. reported-Captsi
and Mrs.. r. r. voolfolk, their six children
ranging IN ages from sixteen months
twenty years, and Mrs. West, IN aun
Of Mrs.. voolfolk, aged sixty.
The coroner's jury found . verdict I
murder against Thomas @. voolfolk, %
Of the Captains first wife, who was sleeI
ing IN the house. His statement was tha
soms time before daybreak he was arouse
oy groans and the sound Of blows comm
from his parents room. His half brothe
Richard, ran into the room which adjoins
his, and, thinking that murder vi
being committed, he (Thoma
jumped from : window in b
night clothes and hare feet and ran 70 q
hsuss q negro three hundred or fo'
hundred yards distant % get them